One Last Turn
by StorySongs
Summary: In the end, neither of them wins or loses. They simply play... and wait for the chance to do so again. Angsty oneshot, Kaiba and Yugi friendship. Post-canon.


**Disclaimer: Don't own. Just playing in the sandbox.**

**A quick advisement... I made myself cry while writing this. Be careful reading in public or around easily concerned family members.**

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The slow beep of the heart monitors is just as annoying as it was sixty years ago, is his first thought on entering the hospice room.

He paused at the doorway, leaning on his cane- a gift from Mokuba after he fell and badly wrenched his knee two years ago. The sleek lacquered dragon's head is smooth under his palm. Violet eyes undimmed by age but surrounded by wrinkles focused on him blearily, before the familiar face lit up in a weary smile.

"Seto, I'm glad you could come." The elderly man once known as the King of Games sat propped up in the angled bed, surrounded by pillows and tucked under a blanket. He looked even smaller than usual; fragile, as if he could break at any moment. Seto grunted in acknowledgement and made his way to one of the bedside chairs.

He'd deliberately come when he knew everyone else would be gone; it didn't seem right for anyone else to intrude on this meeting.

Their last meeting.

Seto worked his jaw gently, fighting for words that wouldn't come. How could he sum up over sixty years of friendship, experiences he shared with no other person- one of the few people he ever trusted with his life? The words out of his mouth weren't what he intended.

"So this is the end, then."

"My kidneys are failing, my doctor says. Nothing they can do except keep me comfortable." He nodded towards the IV drip. He's quiet and calm, not fighting anymore. Seto could see it in his eyes- Yugi was done with his life. His children are grown, Tea passed away three years ago, and his best friend died (again) at the age of sixteen. Now he's simply waiting to rejoin them.

They lapsed into silence once again. Seto bowed his head and spun his cane between his fingers- still mobile and pain-free, only just starting to thicken with arthritis at the age of seventy six. He considers himself lucky to have been in this good of health for this long, but now the realization of human mortality is smacking him in the face.

"Seto…" Blue eyes met violet. Yugi opened and closed his mouth several times, before finally giving up and picking up a battered stack of cards from the bedside table. His mouth quirked up in an almost sad smile. "Duel me? For old time's sake."

It's been a long time since duels using real cards instead of electronics have been popular, but Seto never stopped carrying his own deck with him wherever he went. He'd bled for and bonded to his cards too strongly to ever leave them collecting dust somewhere in a drawer. He pulled his own deck from his coat pocket and began to shuffle. It was answer enough.

This duel was nowhere near as fierce as some of their others. The edges of cards were caressed fondly as they were laid down, and Yugi reminisced on old battles whenever a particular move sparked a memory.

"_Remember that time that girl tried to duel you with counterfeit Blue Eyes cards? I thought you were going to throw her off the cliff!" _

"_Pot of Greed- tournament duels just aren't the same without all the cards they've banned." _

"_I remember that card- Marik made it a big part of his new deck after Battle City."_

Each story drew a smile or a chuckle from his opponent, and occasionally even got a reply. As the duel drew on the stories grew less and less frequent, until finally they battled in utter silence.

Seto took a breath before activating his final trap. Yugi had managed to back him into a corner, his dragons locked down while Yugi gathered cards to utterly destroy him. This was his only chance.

"Last Turn." He met Yugi's eyes and tapped the Blue-Eyes he had on the field. They swept the rest of the cards into their graveyards. Yugi gave him a sly smile before shuffling through his deck and laying a battered card on the field.

"Obnoxious Celtic Guardian." Seto blinked down at the card for a moment before leaning forward and resting his head in his hands. The Guardian couldn't be destroyed by battle with his Blue-Eyes, and thus the effects of Last Turn declared the battle a draw.

"Neither of us can ever get the upper hand, can we?" Yugi just laughed and reached out to take his hand.

"And that's just how it should be." Looking up into suspiciously bright purple eyes, Kaiba had to agree. He wordlessly shuffled closer and let Yugi pull him into a hug, holding the other man as tightly as he dared. Yugi snuggled his head under his chin and closed his eyes.

"Yami always called you the brother of our heart." He whispered, holding on tight to the taller man. "The one we could trust at our back in any situation… Broken so many times, but still so strong throughout it all." He let a few tears fall onto Seto's collar. "I've been honored to know you, Seto Kaiba."

Emotional words never came easily to Seto. How could he possibly respond to that? How could he communicate that without Yugi and his other half he would be nothing, a mere specter consumed by hatred and darkness? The words clogged up in his throat and all he could do was tighten his arms around his friend. In the end, he said nothing.

After a moment more they separated. Seto could tell that Yugi was exhausted- his eyelids kept drooping and his hands were shaking. Silently he helped gather up the cards and tucked Yugi's deck into his hand before settling him under the covers.

Just before he left, Yugi caught his hand one more time. He smiled softly.

"Until we meet again, brother of my heart." Seto nodded once.

"Until we meet again."

He left the building, rubber-tipped cane tapping against the floor.

The next morning, sitting in his home office scanning the news report, one headline caught his eye.

_Legendary 'King of Games' Dies at Age 75_

He stood up and walked (he refused to admit he hobbled, even though his joints were stiff in the mornings) to the window, watching the sun rise. He pressed one hand against the glass. New day, a new beginning… But beginnings start from the end of something else. He swallowed once.

"Rest in peace… Brother of my heart."

Later he firmly blamed the bright rising sun for the water in his eyes.

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**Author's Notes:**

So... Yeah. Attack of the plotbunnies.

I recently learned that someone I've known since I was a little kid most likely has terminal cancer. This story was born out of all those feelings, and acted as sort of stress relief.

Hope you enjoyed reading, review if you feel like it.

-SS


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